Curbing protest rights in the UK will have a chilling effect on our democracy and smacks of hypocrisy

When the Police, Crimes, Sentencing and Courts Bill is debated today, let’s vote to remove restrictions which undermine people’s right to be seen and heard by those in power, says Sarah Champion

Demonstrators in Birmingham oppose a separate bill that would criminalise protests which cause ‘serious annoyance or inconvenience’ (PA)

The government has repeatedly stressed its commitment to human rights and open societies, but when it comes to putting these into practice at home, the UK is falling short.

Just a few weeks ago, Boris Johnson along with other G7 leaders reaffirmed the importance of the values that unite them, including human rights, democracy and the right to associate, organise and assemble peacefully, as well as free expression online and offline. Prior to this, the Integrated Review – billed as the government’s flagship foreign policy playbook – stated that the UK’s “efforts to reverse this decline in global freedoms must start at home, with open societies working together”.

Yet the Police, Crimes, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021, due to enter report stage today, takes us in the opposite direction. Part 3 of the bill undermines peoples’ right to protest – a vital way for people to quite literally be seen and heard by those in power. By introducing vague and broad powers subject to the discretion of the home secretary and police, and creating new offences, the bill will have a chilling effect on our democracy and our ability to say no to power. It undermines the very values we seek to promote internationally.